Professionals Real Estate 
Veteran real estate agent John Kalaja has joined the Professionals network, making the move after 30 years of success in the highly competitive inner-Brisbane property market.
Mr Kalaja has rebranded his former Harcourts agency to Professionals West End in a move aimed at giving him more flexibility to service some of the city’s most highly sought-after suburbs, namely West End and Highgate Hill.
“I don’t know of any other market like West End, Highgate Hill and South Brisbane,” said Mr Kalaja.
“They are serviced by 28 real estate offices within a kilometre of each other and most of these offices are like our team, smaller operations where the owners are the salespeople.”
Professionals West End has a team of three working from Mr Kalaja’s existing office at 1/237 Montague Road in West End.
“It’s one of the reasons why moving to the Professionals makes sense for us,” he said.
“I like the fact that Professionals is a member-based organisation because it gives us an element of independence.
“I was an independent when I started. The Professionals Group offers a lot of the benefits of running your business your way, supported by the resources of a large organisation.
“It helps that I’m also one of those people who enjoys working in the day-to-day of real estate. I love what I do and some of my clients have been dealing with me for 30 years now.”
Professionals West End plans to focus on residential sales in the suburbs of West End, Highgate Hill, Dutton Park and Woolloongabba.
Mr Kalaja said the market remains “as positive as it can be under current conditions”.
“Generally, the housing market around West End has been more positive than I anticipated three months ago,” he said.
“Demand is holding up well because this remains one of the most tightly-held markets in Brisbane, with houses held an average of 20 to 30 years.
“Reasons for this vary but the area is well serviced by some of the best private and public schools in Brisbane, while it is also bounded by Queensland University of Technology and Queensland University.
“We’re also the cultural heart of the city with the proximity to Southbank, GOMA, and the Queensland Performing Arts Centre.
“Whatever it’s been socially and culturally for us in the past, that’s about to be enhanced doubly over the next few years with the Queen’s Wharf development on our doorstep.”
Professionals West End officially opened on June 29.
